While I was on my big trip I still tried to find ways to avoid using plastic as much as possible.
Beth Terry blogged on this a while ago - all good ideas, but more appropriate for travelling within the United States where she lives, rather than spending a couple of months travelling around on the other side of the world.
I wasn't heroic enough to try to work out how to take all my own food on a 12-hour flight leaving from a foreign city! But I tried to do what I could.
The things I found to be simplest and most effective:
- Taking your own snacks/lunch on buses and trains.
Usually the only food available to buy on trains or at stations is heavily packaged (and expensive). I regularly bought a supply of stuff like small blocks of cheese, packets of dried fruit, chocolate and crackers, which will all keep for a few days, then added bread and fresh fruit on days I knew I would need a lunch. I took a small lidded container to keep opened packets in. It was handy to have a Swiss army knife to cut up cheese, bread etc.
- Eating before you head to the airport or taking your own food
Again, most food at airports seems to involve a lot of plastic and you inevitably get hungry during all the waiting.
- Taking your own water bottle and refilling it from the tap at your accommodation each day.
I also refilled it in airports after going through security, like Beth. This was good everywhere that the tap water is drinkable. In Bangkok it was different! I also found out why they drink bottled water in Paris - the tap water really isn't very nice. Luckily they do a good line in drinks in real glasses at all those cafes.
- Taking a reuseable shopping bag.
I wished I'd thought of this before I left New Zealand, because a reuseable bag is just as useful for supermarkets, street markets and various other purchases when you're travelling as it is at home. However, it took me several days to find one to buy in Spain. Eventually I got a cotton one that folds up small for packing.
Overall it wasn't too hard to avoid plastic in France and Spain. For example, I also took my own collapsible cup and knife, fork and spoon set, but only used them a few times because most of the time I ate in at restaurants that used real cutlery and china.
Unexpected plastic did pop up in a few places though - like the ice cream in a cone that came with a little plastic spoon in Madrid, or the little plastic cap protecting the ice cream on the Spanish version of a Trumpet. That's just a part of travelling.
